{"id":757021,"date":"2026-04-27T17:03:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T17:03:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/757021\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T17:03:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T17:03:20","slug":"volunteers-restore-critical-habitat-for-endangered-least-tern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/757021\/","title":{"rendered":"Volunteers restore critical habitat for endangered least tern\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

On a\u00a0recent\u00a0morning at Mariners Point in Mission Bay, the\u00a0crisp\u00a0air was filled with laughter, shovels scraping against soil and the occasional cry of a seabird overhead. \u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

Seasoned birdwatchers\u00a0joined\u00a0families with young\u00a0children\u00a0as\u00a0more than\u00a060\u00a0volunteers gathered for a cause close to their hearts: protecting the endangered California\u00a0least\u00a0tern.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Nesting<\/a>Nesting California least terns at Mariners Point. (Photo courtesy of SDG&E)<\/p>\n

For the 14th year in a row, the San Diego Bird Alliance<\/a> and\u00a0San Diego Gas & Electric<\/a> (SDG&E\u2122) \u00a0helped restore tern nesting grounds, transforming the shoreline into a sanctuary ready for the birds\u2019 return.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It was an eventful day of immediate impact\u00a0and a collective hope for the future of one of San Diego\u2019s most vulnerable species.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cLeast\u202fTerns are beautiful. They fly thousands of miles every year,\u00a0and they are just returning to Mission Bay at this time of year. It\u2019s one of the last places on\u00a0Earth that this endangered bird nests,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0Andrew Meyer,\u00a0director of\u00a0conservation\u00a0for the Bird Alliance.\u00a0\u201cThey are completely dependent on managed landscapes now that Mission Bay has been so altered, and volunteer-powered habitat restoration work like what we partner on with SDG&E is the only thing keeping them successful in\u202fSan Diego.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0
\u00a0
The California\u00a0least\u00a0tern, a small seabird listed as endangered since 1970,\u00a0uses\u00a0Mariners Point as a key nesting site. Volunteers\u00a0recently\u00a0spent\u00a0a\u00a0day clearing invasive\u00a0habitat, removing waste and preparing the nesting grounds to ensure a safe environment for\u00a0the terns\u2019\u00a0upcoming breeding season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After\u00a0the\u00a0site\u00a0was vandalized\u00a0in 2024,\u00a0SDG&E donated a new sign to replace\u00a0the\u00a0damaged one, ensuring that visitors can continue learning about the importance of protecting\u00a0the\u00a0fragile ecosystem.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

The\u00a0annual\u00a0habitat restoration\u00a0event\u00a0represents\u00a0one of the many\u00a0causes\u00a0supported by\u00a0SDG&E\u00a0employees through\u00a0their time, talent and treasure.\u00a0In 2025, SDG&E\u00a0volunteers provided\u00a0more than\u00a015,000 hours of service\u00a0to local communities.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

As the nesting season approaches, the restored habitat is a testament to the power of\u00a0collaboration\u00a0and the collective effort of those who care deeply about San Diego\u2019s natural heritage\u00a0and\u00a0environmental preservation.\u00a0
\u00a0
And while the California\u00a0least\u00a0terns may not send thank\u00a0you cards, their return to a cleaner, safer home is all the gratitude these volunteers need.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Learn more about SDG&E in the community at\u00a0sdge.com\/community<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This message was funded by shareholders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On a\u00a0recent\u00a0morning at Mariners Point in Mission Bay, the\u00a0crisp\u00a0air was filled with laughter, shovels scraping against soil and…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":757022,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5134],"tags":[5229,1582,276,311368,9562,74940,311369,3549,311370,7264,44078,67,586,132,5230,68,2969,38983],"class_list":["post-757021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-america","tag-ca","tag-california","tag-california-least-tern","tag-endangered-species","tag-mission-bay","tag-nesting-grounds","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-bird-alliance","tag-sandiego","tag-sdge","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa","tag-volunteers"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116477756993598169","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/757021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=757021"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/757021\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/757022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=757021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=757021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=757021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}